On the Second Day….

Two tips in one day is a lot to take in I know but we need to catch up……On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two pink galahs… and a kookaburra in a gum tree. If the illustrations are anything to go by in the ‘The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas’, the pink galahs are throwing back a couple of cocktails and teasing the kookaburra. I had a quick word to Santa today at the shops and he did indeed confirm that the galahs do like to imbibe in a few beverages around Christmas and revel in being the life of the party. Just in case you do too, there are some things that might be handy to take on board. What you choose to drink is a key factor. Red and white wine and champagne are pretty similar with a 100ml glass containing between 270-295 kJ. Beer seems like at a winner at 149kJ per 100ml but lets face it, who drinks only 100ml beer? Can you imagine cracking open a stubbie and then having to give it away after drinking only just under a quarter? Then we move a little higher, onto the spirit shelf. A spirit like vodka, whisky, bourbon and the like attracts around 270kJ per 30ml shot whilst the elite spirits like Malibu, Baileys or Sambuca contain 420kJ per 30ml but watch out for their friends, the mixer. A glass of mixer like cola or lemonade contains 420kJ, which can be just as much as the alcohol. Would you sit down and eat 8-10 teaspoons sugar? I didn’t think so. Then there are the nuts, chips, dips and the like that make you drink more. Its not your fault, they are very addictive and persuasive aren’t they? Fat and alcohol are friends too and togetherness promotes fat storage. Of course I would not suggest that you should drink alcohol and not eat, that would be irresponsible BUT think about eating a healthy snack or meal before you hit the party This will eliminate the need to pounce on platters of finger food as they sail by and most importantly less excess baggage in January.